A few weeks ago I received a tweet that (for reasons that still befuddle me) I thought meant I was in the middle of a conversation with someone I honestly couldn't remember ever virtually meeting. Naturally, I didn't want to look stupid so I pretended that I knew exactly who this random person was and continued the conversation with as much gusto as I could manage. Then...

Has this ever happened to you? You have been reading a book or film review and the reviewer interjects that this work is “astonishingly original…sui generis…other obnoxious phrases that suggest untutored genius”? Is there anything more intolerable than someone who can produce what has never been done before? I could give examples, but a) they certainly don’t need endorsement from me and b) it would...

Last year I declared myself what NaNoWriMo dubs a ‘pantser’. With only a blank document and my imagination, I began to write. It’s safe to say I only got a week through the challenge before I found life getting in the way and I gave in. This year, however, I am prepared! Armed with a fairly in depth breakdown of a plot and a word...

On the first of the month, my partner in crime jetted off to Lithuania. It turns out that the only thing I know about the country is that it was the birthplace of Hannibal Lecter, himself. Apparently somewhat inspired by it, my month appeared to split into Hannibalistic halves: The first half was filled with culture and intelligent conversation, introducing me to new things and...